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Potsie Weber
'''Warren "Potsie" Weber, played by Anson Williams, was originally portrayed as Richie Cunningham's best friend in the ABC-TV series Love, American Style episode "Love and the Happy Days", which aired on February 25, 1972, and helped serve as inspiration for Garry Marshall, who wrote the episode segment, to later develop the idea of a new TV show from the episode, this later, after the box-office success of the blockbuster 1973 George Lucas film American Graffiti, which co-starred Ron Howard who originated the role of Richie Cunningham in the episode, Cindy Williams, (who would later appear on Happy Days as Shirley Feeney and co-star on Laverne & Shirley with Penny Marshall, Garry's sister), Richard Dreyfuss and a 13-year-old MacKenzie Phillips, later of CBS-TV's One Day At A Time TV series fame. About Potsie Potsie was a close friend of Richie Cunningham and Ralph Malph, who often spent time at Arnold's Drive In. He was characterized as being not very bright, somewhat gullible, socially clumsy, and in modern hindsight, very "square," and because of it, he was frequently called a nerd by friends and acquaintances. However, Potsie is a very talented singer, and his musical endeavors became more central to the character as the series progressed. Potsie's extremely sour relationship with his father (never seen on camera) was a minor running joke on the series, with lines such as "I'm gonna talk to my dad too; will be the first time in six months!" In "''The Deadly Dares''" (Season 1, Episode 6), Potsie revealed how he got his nickname. He was asked, "Potsie Weber? What kind of name is this?" He replied, "They call me Potsie because when I was a young boy I used to like to make things with clay, and one day my mother called me Potsie." In the pilot and early seasons, Potsie appeared with best friend Richie in the plots and appeared to be more savvy than him, a character trait that would be dropped by the writers. As the series progressed, and with the increasingly popular breakout character Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli becoming close friends with Richie, Potsie became more commonly paired with Ralph in episodes, particularly when the pair rented an apartment together upon leaving high school. Like his friends, Potsie had his share of crushes on members of the opposite sex. His one steady girlfriend was Jennifer Jerome, played by Lorrie Mahaffey, who became Williams' wife from 1978 to 1986. The two met in college and shared a passion for singing, as evidenced by a duet they sang during their fraternity/sorority "pinning ceremony." Her departure from the show was left unexplained. Family Potsie's father is known for hating him. His mother was the one who nicknamed him. Personality and Background Potsie worked at Mr. Howard Cunningham's Hardware Store. He is a close friend of Richie Cunningham, Ralph Malph and Arthur "The Fonz", and is a family friend of the Cunningham's. He was characterized as not being very bright, somewhat gullible, socially clumsy, and in modern hindsight, very "square." An enthusiastic singer, he was frequently called a nerd by friends and acquaintances. Potsie's musical endeavors became more central to the character as the series progressed. Potsie's extremely sour relationship with his father (never seen on camera) was a minor running joke on the series, with lines such as "I'm gonna talk to my dad too; will be the first time in six months!" He also eats a lot. When he is being a bit ditzy, Ralph calls him "a Potsie", but the nickname in general is not meant to be offensive. References External links Category:Main Characters Category:Characters Category:Happy Days characters